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Innovation In Bologna, Italy: Struggles And Hope For The Future

There’s a struggle going on right now in Bologna, at the heart of Italy’s gastronomic center. But it has nothing to do with the legendary Bolognese ragù or the production of the region’s renown Lambrusco wines.

The struggle is between Italy’s troubled economy on the one hand, and its energetic community of innovators on the other.

The region’s entrepreneurs have set their sites on improving future prospects for its indigenous food and wine, of course, and they’re far from flying solo: their initiatives are backed by a long list of economically healthy Italian corporations and entire institutions, not the least of which is the oldest university in the western hemisphere.

But it isn’t only within Bologna’s gastronomic community where outside-the-box ideas are taking shape. The city’s long history in manufacturing and education also plays its role in the formation of Bologna’s current and future economic vitality.

Here are two examples where the struggle – and its hopeful countermeasures – are on display.

MAST Center for Arts, Experience, and Technology

Newly opened in October last year, the MAST center grew from the philanthropic arm of the Coesia Group, a manufacturer of industrial machinery that traces its roots to a motorcycle company named GD, founded in Bologna in 1923.

MAST has positioned itself as a bridge between the company and its immediate community, with an eye toward educating the next generation on technology and entrepreneurship. School groups and the public are invited to utilize the center’s academy, classroom spaces, docents and tutors, auditorium, restaurant, nursery, wellness center, and gallery space, where a historical photography exhibit of Italian labor and manufacture is currently on display.

The focus at MAST is clearly on industry and technology, and the power of human capital as well. Visitors (and especially young people) take in information, then move onto a hands-on application that demonstrates how the knowledge is put into practice. The goal of that transition – from information to practice – is to build confidence and skills, and to inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs to start companies of their own.

MBA Program at the University of Bologna

“Italy is not an obvious place to study business administration,” said Massimo Bergami, professor and dean of the Alma Graduate School at the University of Bologna. “It’s running at two different speeds. Excellent Italian companies are doing outstanding business and are growing in the global arena. But other parts of Italy are moving slowly. The challenge is to use the speed and excellence of the good ones to pull up the heavy and slow ones.”

Bergami, whose doctorate is in organizational management, puts healthy, innovative Italian companies front and center for students in the MBA track. Corporate partnerships are critical to the success of the program: students visit companies on-site for workshops and case studies, they find internships or work placements there, and they benefit from corporate-funded scholarships that last year alone amounted to €1.5 million.

“The focus of our program is on what’s made in Italy,” Bergami said. “Students come here because they love Italian brands and because it’s a unique opportunity to access these companies.”

Corporate access is one component of the program most often cited for its success; the other is the international composition of its students. Currently students from 39 different countries are enrolled in the one-year English-language MBA (there is a separate program for native Italian speakers).

The program is divided into different concentrations, including food and wine, corporate finance, Brazilian-European relations, and luxury goods such as fashion and design. First semester courses, which all students take together, include corporate finance, accounting, strategy, and marketing. Second semester courses are mostly distinct to the concentrations; in the food and wine track, for example, they include distribution and retail, sustainability, and tourism.

The final component of the MBA program is a 500-hour internship, which students complete following their coursework. Recent placements have included Ferrarelle water company, the Mezzacorona wine group, and Eataly, though students are also encouraged to start their own entrepreneurial project in food, wine, or tourism.

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Great article, Cathy. Bologna is indeed a hub for innovation in Italy, they have one of the most advanced local digital agendas, among other things, and it’s always a pleasure to go there and feel the pulse of the city